Mississippi Blues
by XOXheartAmy
Summary: AU: When Charles Xavier's son, Logan, needs to find his daughter, he hires a Cajun detective to get the job done. But what happens when our detective finds the girl? Is love written in the -playing- cards? Romy with Jonda, Kiotr, Jott, RoLo, Anlocke
1. Prologue: Before He Cheats

**Let's get this outta the way: I don't own the X-Men :( It'd be funny to turn round one day and say "Hey, I just bought the X-Men from Stan Lee! There's gonna be a whole issue dedicated to Rogue and Remy getting 'alone time'!"**

**If the summary made no sense, this chapter should clear it all up. I'd also like to point out (and thanks to Lupa Dracolis who brought this to my attention) that this is a no-powers AU and the reason Remy's eyes are red-on-black I, eh, haven't figured out yet. I was thinking either a birth defect or a tragic accident when he was an infant.**

**I've received criticisms for the way I structure paragraphs. Please don't blame me, blame my teachers. It's been ingrained. This story and all future stories will be written in the standard format; XCIS, AMND and S&S will continue the way they are for consistency. Also, I'd like to point out to some that I write X-Men: Evolution fics, not The Animated Series fics. Remy will speak in first person - like he does in Evo - in my fics, not third.**

**I quite like the way I've been writing Jean recently... Maybe she isn't that bad... Maybe... Possibly... An eensy-weensy window of possibility... The rest of the time she's a bitch.**

**This will be another of those 'occasional update' stories because not only is this story only half-baked, my laptop's screwed and the drafts for XCIS, AMND and S&S are gone until the guy fixes my hard drive. I just typed over a document I uploaded a while ago and no longer need :D**

**Style Key:**  
"text" - Speech_  
"text" _- Thoughts

* * *

**Chapter Song**

_I dug my key into the side of his  
Pretty little souped-up four wheel drive  
Carved my name into his leather seat  
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights  
Slashed a hole in all four tires  
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats_

_Before He Cheats _- Carrie Underwood

* * *

_"It's not a house, it's a fucking mansion!"_

That was the first thought to cross detective Remy LeBeau's mind as he reached the home of the late, great Charles Xavier, now inhabited by his son, Logan, and his daughter-in-law, Ororo. Remy's unique red-on-black eyes traversed the gates and security system that protected the 'house'. It was pretty damned sophisticated. Good. Like any good detective, he had done some research on his new clients, mainly to check no dirty money was involved. Apparently, Ororo was unable to carry children and only a blood heir or heiress of the Xaviers could inherit the multi-million dollar fortune. He had absolutely no idea what they wanted from him.

-X-O-X-

"Of course, 'Ro knows all about this already and is completely thrilled at the prospect of getting a daughter."

So that was what they wanted. Twenty years previously, somewhere in Canada, before he met Ororo, Logan had met and slept with a woman from Caldecott County, Mississippi. He couldn't even remember her name (Remy knew what that was like) but almost one year later, she had sent a letter - no return address, no name - and a photo of his baby girl. She didn't even tell him the girl's name, only that her birthday was the 15th of November and that she knew that the child was his because she had his family birthmark - an oddly shaped 'X' - on her left buttock.

Remy jokingly asked Logan where his was. The man became strangely quiet.

"So let m' get dis straight: y' slept wit' a _femme_, de _femme_ got pregnant, de _fille_, y'r daughter, is de heiress t' y'r _père's_ fortune, an' y' don' know who de Hell she is so y' need m' t' find her."

"In a nutshell, yeah. Your pay will be $10,000 but you only get it once you find her and bring her back."

"Fair 'nough, _m'sieur_. Do y' know where she'll be?"

"As far as I know: Caldecott, Mississippi."

* * *

"So when's your shift end?"

"In a couple hours. Why?"

"Well, I figured we could get to know each other a little better, say, my place?"

"No thanks. Anna'd kill me... Actually, she'll kill you."

"Huh?"

"Pietro Maximoff, yah two-bit, low-down, ungrateful, un_faithful_, little creep!" the curvy, two-toned hair belle shouted at the white-haired racing driver.

"Hey, baby!"

"Don't yah dare 'babeh' meh! Get thah Hell outta this bar an' outta mah lahfe! We're ovah!"

Pietro, needless to say, left Blues Bar pretty damned fast where his now ex-girlfriend worked as a singer and waitress. The woman, Anna-Marie, turned to Tabitha Smith, the wild, blonde barmaid.

"Thanks, Tab."

"Hey, no problem! I think that's your third break-up, and the second one I've weeded out."

"Ah know."

"Hey, no biggie. They always flirt to see if they can get free drinks (yeah, right) so you flirt back a little and shoot 'em down in flames for a laugh; but if he's your friend's boyfriend offering to take you back to his place, you flirt back to see if they're gonna be faithful."

"That, somehow, makes sense..."

"Was that my good-for-nothing brother high-tailing it outta here?"

"Hey, Wands, an' yeah. Thah little creep trahed tah sleep with Tabby."

"Eh, for the best I suppose. Needed that over-inflated ego of his popped... Maybe I'll steal his hair bleach tomorrow, just for fun." This statement was followed by an evil smirk.

"Was that Pietro?"

A tall, redheaded woman and a slightly smaller brunette approached Anna, Tabby and Wanda – who was fixing her cropped red-highlighted black hair by means of her reflection in the bar taps.

"Yeah, Jean, Kitty, ah broke up with him."

"Wow, and I'm, like, guessing Tabby was the cause." Kitty was such a valley-girl sometimes.

"Yep."

"That makes her your official man-tester."

"Her what?"

"Man-tester. Y'know, she flirts with the guy so Anna knows if he'll be faithful."

"Hmm... Ah lahke it!"

"Cool!"

"Hey, luv, can I get one of those drinks that're on fire?"

Wanda grinned slightly as she went to serve the orange-haired Aussie. Anna and the other girls shared a conspiratory smirk.

"Coming right up!"

"Hey, Wands, he's cute. Yah should ask him out!"

"No w..." Wanda paused, noticing the latest arrival to walk through the door. "Okay, I will. But you have to ask that guy, Anna."

She pointed to the man who had just walked in. He raised his head and Anna-Marie gasped when she saw his eyes. Red on black. They were beautiful.

* * *

**Yay for chapter 1! I'd like to thank a few people:**

_**Chellerbelle**_** for keeping me sane with her brilliant stories**_**  
Sakura Ocean**_** for telling me about this song**_**  
My sister, Erin**_**, for lending me her laptop for the night while mine's getting fixed  
And all you awsome peeps who read and review my stories!**

**You guys rule!**


	2. Chapter 1: Ladies' Man

**Sorry for the long wait. Due to problems concerning hard drives and missing chapters, I've decided to make Mississippi Blues my primary story, especially now I know how the Hell I'm gonna get to where I'm going.**

**I've also decided that I'll write with minimal accents (save for Rogue and Remy) 'cause I'm clueless. I'll include mannerisms, like Piotr not having the world's greatest English, or Kitty's fondness for 'like' and 'totally', but other than that, **_**nada**_**. This has stemmed mainly from my inability to write Pyro's accent without it sounding - and looking - stupid**

* * *

**Chapter Song**

_Well, I've known heart-breakers but you take the cake,__  
Ladies' man.  
__You could charm the diamonds off a rattlesnake,__  
Ladies' man.  
Ladies bring it on over when you give 'em the glance,  
They don't stand a chance.  
First, you unfurl them, then you pigeon-hole 'em,  
Ladies' man._

_Ladies' Man_ - Joni Mitchell

* * *

Remy looked around the bar. Just his kind of place: good music, drinks, _belle femmes_ - one in particular, who had just come onstage in a sinfully tight, floor-length, green dress. He ordered a glass of bourbon from the vivacious blonde behind the bar and sat next to a man dressed in obnoxiously bright orange. Hell, even the guy's hair matched! At first, Orange Man didn't seem to notice him, he was too busy staring at the other girl behind the bar, a woman with cropped black hair - the bottom layers dyed deep red - and dressed in a scarlet blouse and black trousers. After a while, the man turned to face Remy, jumping comically in shock at the sight of him sitting there.

"Bloody 'ell, mate, when did you get 'ere?"

"Not dat long 'go."

"Nice contacts, by the way."

Remy looked at him strangely for a moment before realising Orange Man was referring to his eyes.

"Dey're not contacts, _mon ami_. Few years back, I was in dis motorcycle acciden'. I had a whole load o' operations an' when I woke up after dem, _mes yeux_ were like dis. M' fiancée saw dem an' sent back de ring in de mail de nex' day."

"That's harsh, mate. Oh, where're my manners? The name's St John Allerdyce."

"_C'est une plaisir_. 'M Remy LeBeau."

"Nice to meet you. You want me to tell you 'bout the others?"

"_Oui_, I guess."

"Alright, then. Uh, the big guy by the door's Piotr Rasputin, he's the bouncer; the blonde behind the bar's Tabby Smith; the brunette waitress is Kitty Pryde and the redhead's Jean Grey-Summers; the guy with the glasses at the piano is Jean's husband, Scott; and the sheila talking to Tabby is Wanda Maximoff."

A dreamy look came over St John - who Remy could now identify as Australian, due to the accent's - face when he said Wanda's name.

"Guess y' like dat _femme_, den, _homme_."

St John started. "Is it obvious?"

"_Oui_."

"Well, yeah. I mean, she's perfect!"

"Ask her out, den."

"I can't. She's too good for me. I mean, she's so straight and narrow, even if she has some family issues, and I got kicked out of Oz 'cause I committed arson... I'm no good for her."

"Jus' try. Y'd be surprised." Remy stopped when the woman in the green dress finished her last song and stepped down from the stage. "Hey, Johnny, who's_ dat_?"

"Who? The sheila that was singing? That's Anna-Marie. Her stage name's Rogue."

"Rogue..." Remy muttered to himself. He knew which girl he was going home with tonight.

"So, Remy-mate, you new in town?"

"Hmm? Oh, _non_, jus' passin' t'rough. 'M lookin' f'r someone."

"Well, this _is _a small town. I might know them. Pretty much everyone comes to _Blues Bar _at least once. Who is it?"

"'M not sure... She was born 'bout twenty years 'go."

"You a cop or something?"

"P.I."

"Oh. Well, there's this nice little sheila at the registry office in the town hall. Jubilation Lee. She's a good friend of mine. Just call her Jubilee and tell her John sent you. She should be able to help."

"_Merci_, _mon ami_."

"Hey, Wands!"

"Hey, Anna. The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks, hun."

Wanda turned away for a moment, mixing Anna's cocktail. Remy glanced up and was met with a pair of sparkling emerald eyes. The owner of the eyes gave him a small smile before sitting down and sipping her drink. Remy looked her up and down appreciatively, his eyes lingering on her chest a little too long. Rogue felt the eyes on her cleavage instantly.

"Yah want somethin'?"

"Jus' tryin' t' decide if y'd look bes' jus' naked o' covered in whipped cream an' melted chocolate _aussi_."

The next thing he felt was the sting of a sharp slap across his face.

"Ah've been with guys lahke yah befoah. Yah wan' sex an' that's all. Or yah cheat. Or yah dump thah gal aftah one nahght. Nah uh. Naht happenin', Bayou Breath. Ah'm sick of men lahke yah." And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed off.

Remy looked surprised to say the least. No woman had ever rejected his advances before. Unless they were involved with someone already. Oh, she probably...

Wanda, the barmaid, turned to him. "Don't take it personally. She just dumped my brother after he tried to go home with Tabby earlier. The ones before him were awful too."

Okay, so she was single. He was still confused about why she didn't want him. He'd never had this problem before... And never before had he felt the sudden, overwhelming urge to hunt down and beat to a bloody pulp the men who had broken a woman's heart. This one was special.

-X-O-X-

Remy sat on his bed in his hotel room, staring at a picture of Rogue. He'd been right, she _was_ something special - she was the _fille_, no, _femme_ he was looking for... So why didn't he want to take her back to her father?

**

* * *

**

**Yay! At last the plot bunny listened to reason (see the author's note (ch5) in XCIS for full details) and allowed me to work out how this story was gonna get to where it's going! Chapter 3 should be up at some point... But I'm not sure when... Not until chapter 5's written, at least.**


	3. Chapter 2: Cowboy Casanova

**Here's chapter 3. Mostly set in New York ('cos stuff happens there too) but with a little character development in Mississippi**

* * *

**Chapter Song**

_He's a good-time Cowboy Casanova,  
Leanin' up against the record machine.  
He looks like a cool drink of water,  
But he's candy-coated misery.  
He's the devil in disguise, a snake with blue eyes,  
And he only comes out at night.  
Gives you feelings that you don't wanna fight,  
You'd better run for your life._

_Cowboy Casanova_ - Carrie Underwood

* * *

Logan paced the study anxiously, staring at the phone every so often. Ororo watched from the leather sofa, worrying about his current mental state. The detective they'd hired had been gone for over two weeks now and he was becoming edgy. Outside the door, he heard an argument approaching: his business partner, Warren Worthington II, and Warren's son, Warren III.

"I have told you before, Warren, you are to do as you are told! You signed the contract agreeing to this! I absolutely forbid you to see that… that… supermodel again!"

"And I refuse to marry a girl I've never met! I know it's for the good of the company but not everything revolves around business, dad!"

"But a _supermodel_, Warren? For all you know she could be sleeping around behind your back!"

"And for all she knows I could be sleeping around behind hers! Betsy would never, and neither would I. We have a mutual agreement to stay faithful to one another no matter what."

"Well, you'll have to break that promise. You will marry Logan Xavier's daughter and that is final."

"He won't be marrying her if that damn detective doesn't call to say either how he's doing or that he has her," Logan said, opening the door. "Y'know what, screw this!"

Despite Ororo's calming words, Logan was picking up the phone and angrily dialling Stepford Detective Agency.

"Hello, this is Amara Aquilla of SDA, Director Henry McCoy's PA, how may I direct your call?"

"I'd like to speak to your boss about the detective I hired to find my daughter."

"Of course, sir, can I ask your name?"

"Logan Xavier."

There was the faint sound of typing in the background.

"Ah, yes, Mr Xavier." More typing. "Can you confirm that the detective you hired was Remy Le… Oh…"

"'Oh'? What's 'oh'?"

"You said he was looking for your daughter?" she asked timidly.

"Yes. She's about twenty, probably nearer twenty one."

"I'm very sorry, sir. Allow me to apologise on behalf of the agency for whatever Detective LeBeau has done."

"It's not your fault he hasn't checked in or given me any contact information."

"That's all he's done?! Oh, I'm sorry. I thought... Never mind. I'll email his cell number to you."

Logan rattled off his email address to Amara, who repeated it back to him. "Yeah, that's right. What did you mean by 'I thought'?"

"Well... I shouldn't be telling you this but Detective LeBeau has a... reputation, I suppose, for being, well, a bit of a player. No relationships after his fiancée left him, only one night stands. I thought he had, uh... slept with your daughter and then left her."

The uncomfortable silence that followed was broken by Logan's computer letting out a 'ding!' as the email arrived.

"Thank you, Ms Aquilla," Logan said tersely, turning off the speakerphone and hanging up before the young woman could get another word in.

Warren II looked worried. "What do we do now?"

Logan merely grunted, hitting the PRINT button on the email from SDA, grabbing the papers from the printer and marching out of the room.

Ororo sighed, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry. Sometimes I think he was a wolf or something in a past life, he's got such a short temper."

Warren III snorted. "I think he'd've been something more along the lines of a wolver_ine_, to be honest."

The three laughed, leaving the room to find Logan.

* * *

Remy had spent two weeks in Caldecott County. Two weeks too many. He knew who the girl was, he knew where she was, and he spoke to her every day on account of becoming a regular fixture at Blues Bar, befriending St John, the rather psychotic Australian, and Piotr Rasputin, the enormous - yet surprisingly quiet - Russian bouncer. He just couldn't understand why he was putting off telling her and bundling her onto a plane bound for New York. She would get the family she so obviously lacked, he would get his ten grand, everybody wins... So why the Hell didn't he?!

His answer arrived one day when one of the patrons was flirting with her. He felt the most overwhelming surge of jealousy and suddenly realised: he had feelings for her! He hadn't had feelings for any _femme_ since Bella. He was thinking about her more and more. His X-Rated fantasies about her fewer in number (but not completely gone, he was still a man), replaced by ones of simply holding her, waking up with her in his arms... There were even ones of him kissing her goodnight, wedding bands on their fingers, with her heavily pregnant. It scared him to be thinking these things, these tender moments he couldn't help but so desperately wish for.

When he arrived today, he saw her burst into tears at something a patron had said. As she cried, his heart broke a little, one more break for every pearly tear that tumbled over her rosy cheeks. In a flash, he grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and pinned him to the wall. That one violent move spoke volumes. He would do _anything _for her, even pluck the moon out of the sky and put it somewhere else if she mentioned it was in the way, he never wanted to lose her, even though she wasn't even his. He _loved _her.

* * *

**Special thanks to Chellerbelle for coming up with Stepford Industries, which I borrowed without asking to turn into a detective agency. If you haven't read her stories, go read them now, they're absolute genius! She's just finished the marathon story **_**Squeaky and Stripes**_** for the Movie universe, and another **_**The XMen Present**_** parody about Little Red Riding Hood.**

**Next chapter, it's the moment we've all been waiting for (me included, since I'm still working out some semblance of a plot)!**


	4. APRIL FOOL'S Chapter 3: Sex on Fire

**_APRIL FOOL!_**

**Sorry, guys, couldn't resist. The _real_ chapter 3 will be up tomorrow_  
_**


	5. Chapter 3: Make You Feel My Love

**Okay, so this chapter took ages to write. This means that chapter five will be a while because I don't have anything to write for it yet. Hopefully this long chapter will make up for it.**

**PS. Hope y'all had a good April Fools Day, and to everyone I caught out with "Chapter 3: Sex on Fire", GOTCHA!**

* * *

**Chapter Song**

_When the rain is blowing in your face,  
And the whole world is on your case,  
I could offer you a warm embrace,  
To make you feel my love.  
When the evening shadows and the stars appear,  
And there is no one there to dry your tears,  
I could hold you for a million years,  
To make you feel my love._

_Make You Feel My Love_ - Adele

* * *

"So what's happening with your art-thing, Petey?"

St John, along with Remy, had made fast friends with the strong, silent Russian who, ironically, was an artist. The Aussie had been pestering him ever since he found out Piotr was trying to sell as many paintings was he could so that he could get enough money to bring his little sister from Russia. Illyana was very ill with a rare, but curable, disease, but without the appropriate medical care in Russia, she was in very real danger of dying. The hospitals were far better in America and his salary was enough for her treatment - just - but he didn't have the money to get her there in the first place.

"It is not bad but I vorry I vill not haff enough to help Illyana."

"Don't worry, mate. I'm sure you'll find a way to... What the Hell is Remy doing?"

Piotr looked over to where St John was staring, just in time to see said Cajun pin a man to the wall. In a flash, the Russian had made his way over to Remy and pulled him off.

"Remy, what are you doing?"

"He made her cry! He made Anna cry!"

Piotr turned a confused glance to the bar, where he saw Wanda and Kitty wrap comforting arms around Anna and lead her to the back room, and then to the man cowering at the sight of the huge, muscled bouncer and the demon-eyed detective.

"Hey, so the chick's a homophobe, how the Hell'm I s'posed to know?"

Piotr blanched and Remy gave him a funny look. Clearly, the Russian knew something about why Anna was so upset.

"Vhat do you mean?"

"I just said that my girlfriend and I wanted to experiment a bit and I said to the chick she'd look hot doing Sian. Next thing I know, she bursts into tears."

The man muttered something about 'stupid, hormonal women'. Piotr turned to Remy.

"Vanda and Katya took Anna to zhe back to calm her down."

Remy left in search of the Southern _Belle_ and Piotr turned back to the man.

"Anna has been propositioned by many better men zhan you, and in vays such as yours, but it is painful for her to zhink about it just now."

"Not my fault the chick's a h -"

"She is not homophobic. Far from it. But you should not say zhings like zhat to anyvone, just in case _zhey_ are."

-X-O-X-

"Anna-_chere_? Y' in here?" Remy called from the doorway of the back room, unsure of whether or not he should enter. "_Chaton_? Wanda?"

"Like, back here."

Remy reached for the light switch on the wall and flicked it down, bathing the room with a sickly, fluorescent glow. He blinked a little as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness before they focused on the three women at the back, one with tear tracks staining her face who had fallen asleep on another's shoulder.

"_Allo_, _petites_. How is she?"

"Still pretty miserable," Wanda replied. "I wish I could stay here and keep her company but it's Happy Hour and we tend to get real busy then. Tabby'll need help serving."

"Yeah, like, Jean will too."

Remy looked at the sleeping girl. "I could look aft'r her if y' wan'."

"I was actually gonna take her home. She probably didn't get any sleep last night."

"Y' wan' m' t' take her?"

Wanda sighed in mock defeat, although was grinning on the inside. She hadn't planned for a tragedy, but her plan to set up Anna and Remy was - so far - working. "Okay, then. C'mon, I'll show you to her bike. You'll have to take it with you."

-X-O-X-

When Wanda said 'bike', Remy thought she meant 'bicycle', not the Harley in a beautiful shade of forest green he knew would bring out the Southern _Belle's _eyes perfectly. He carried her, bridal-style, from the bar to his slightly rushed red pickup and gently placed her on in the passenger seat. His fees for his jobs were normally high, after all, he _was_ the best, so he could easily have afforded a much more luxurious car, but he preferred his old Chevy, simply because it was a good, reliable thing... and he had, with help from his cousin, Etienne, built it from scratch. Etienne had been injured in a boating accident not long afterwards. He'd died in hospital.

He typed Anna's address (Wanda had Biro-ed it onto his hand) into his sat-nav and began his journey to the young woman's apartment. About halfway there, Anna woke.

"Where am ah?"

"'M truck. Wanda _et_ Kitty t'ought I should take y' home. Y' look tired, _chere_, y' okay?"

"Ah... Ah guess."

"Y' sure? 'Cause 'm not. If y' were okay y' wouldn't've cried at what dat _secousse_ said."

_"~Drive: two-hundred yards then turn: left~"_

"Just ignore that. Yah can't get tah mah place that way. Go straight on."

She was deliberately dodging the question. He asked again, however, when they entered her apartment and she burst into tears at the sight of a group of framed photographs next to a honey-and-chestnut coloured acoustic guitar.

One photo was of a red-haired woman - with such pale skin it looked almost blue, and such hazel eyes they looked almost yellow - with one arm hand on the shoulder of a boy with the same eyes and skin but with chin-length black hair, and one arm around a woman with pearly eyes and grey-streaked brown hair. This woman had her arm around the redhead and one hand on the shoulder of a much younger Anna. Anna had her arm around the boy, who looked several years younger than her, and the boy's was around Anna. The next picture was almost identical, except the people in it were definitely older, a coffee-skinned brunette had her arms around the black-haired boy and a blonde boy had an arm slung around Anna's shoulders. The rest of the photos didn't feature the blonde boy or the two women, but most were of Anna - who appeared to have gone Goth, the boy, the girl and younger versions of Wanda, Kitty, occasionally Scott and Jean, and a raven-haired boy Remy thought he'd spotted talking to Anna once or twice at the bar.

He watched as she wiped away only a small fraction of the cascade of tears and stuck a round piece of post-it note over the blonde boy's face.

"Mah mommas," she said, indicating first the redhead, then the blind woman, "Raven an' Irene. They were in a civil partnership. And that's mah babeh brothah, Kurt." She pointed to the coffee-skinned girl, "That's Kurt's fiancée, Amanda," then to a picture of herself and five others, "And that's meh, Wanda, Kit, Scott an' Jean, of course, an' one of mah bes' friends, Jean-Paul Beaubier, JP foah short."

"Jus' _amis_?"

"He's gay."

"An' who's de blonde _homme_?"

He winced as she burst into tears again. _"Nice one, _homme_, y' made her cry!"_

-X-O-X-_  
_

A little while later, he'd gotten her a hot drink and a hot water bottle. She'd changed into her pyjamas and was currently curled up into his side like a cat, both of them sitting on the couch.

"Y' wanna tell me' why y're not okay, now, _chere_?"

"Ah'll tell yah if yah tell meh somethin' crappeh that happened tah yah."

"_Pas problem_. How many y' got?"

"Ah've gaht two. Yah go firs'."

"'Kay, den... Uh... Few years back, I was in a motorcycle acciden' an' had a whole load o' operations. _Un_ o' dem was botched an' it lef' _mes yeux_ like dis. _Mon pére et ma tante_ treated m' normal, like I was born wit' dem, _et mon frére et mes cousins_ t'ought dey were cool. _Mais_, m' fiancée saw dem an' said she hated dem. Tol' m' t' 'take off de damn contacts'. When I tol' her I couldn't, dat _mes yeux_ were like dis, she jus' stared at m'. Den she tol' m' t' get surgery, change dem back. De doctors didn' know what de Hell happened, dough, an' when I tol' her dat, she lef'. Sen' back de ring in de mail de nex' day. Her _frére_ nev'r liked m' in de firs' place an' attacked m' f' 'breakin' his _soeur's_ heart'. I called de cops. Las' I heard, he was in prison an' she'd married someone else."

Anna snuggled further into his side. "Ah'm sahrreh. Foah what it's worth, ah think she was a morahn. Yah're eyes are beautiful."

He smiled. "So're y'rs." His smile widened as her cheeks flushed an adorable raspberry-pink. "Y're turn."

"When ah was sixteen, ah had a boyfrien' called Cody. He's thah blonde in thah photo. He was so sweet and ah realleh lahked him... An' he was mah firs' an'... An' thah nex' day... Ah... Ah gaht a tex' from him, dumpin' meh... Wands, Kit an' JP helped pick meh up, an' Irene an' Raven were real nahce about it. That's when ah went Goth. They took meh shoppin' an' realleh helped meh through it. JP even said he'd go beat him up if ah wan'ed. Ah few days latah, he was hit bah a hit-an'-run drahver on thah way tah school. He was in a coma 'til a few days ago...."

"He die?"

"No. He woke up. Called mah cell tah see if we could get back tahgethah. Don' know how he gaht mah number."

"Did y' say _oui_?"

"No. Ah remember what he was lahke. When ah told him 'no', he gaht mad an' called meh... things."

"Like what?"

"Called meh a whore. Said it was mah mommas' fault ah was turnin' him down. That they'd turned meh into a lesbian."

"_Désole_, _chere_. Jus' _un question_, dough... Why did y' keep de photo if he was so awful?"

"Ah threw out or burned most of 'em. But that photo was taken naht long aftah Kurt an' 'Manda gaht tahgether. It's such a loveleh picture of them, ah couldn' bear tah throw it away."

"Where is y'r _frére_, anyway? No' meanin' t' pry, I jus' t'ought he'd be de one t' comfort y'."

"Kurt an' 'Manda moved tah Germany. He joined thah Munich circus an' she's a teacher. He was always real good at gymnastics an' acrobatics. Most o' thah boys at school called him a panseh. Ah beat thah crap outta them."

"Wha' 'bout y'?"

"What d'yah mean?"

"Y' always wanted t' be a singer in a bar?"

"Nah. Ah always wan'ed tah beh a singer... somewhere. Naht big tahme, jus' known aroun' here. Ah'd lahke tah beh able tah walk down thah street in Tenessee, or Texas, or Kentucky, Louisiana, here, an' people'll recognahse meh."

"Soun's nice, _chere_. An' 've heard y' sing. Talen' scouts'll be in Blues Bar lookin' f' y' befo' y' know it. Y'll make it, _chere_."

"Yah think so?"

"_Non_. I know so."

She smiled gently at him, a smile he returned.

"So, m' turn 'gain?"

Anna looked at him, surprised.

"Well y' did say y' had _deux_. Derefore, I shoul' b' tellin' y' _deux_, _aussi_."

"Yah don' have tah."

"_Mais_ I wan' t'. Y're de firs' person 've met dat I wan' t' talk t' 'bout dis stuff."

"'Kay."

"_Ma mére_, she was such a _belle_ t'ing, jus' as _belle_ as y', she had dis disease she'd caught when we wen' t' Japan _une année_. She was real sick, no cure f' it, an' on her las' day, she wan'ed t' talk t' each o' us individually. Firs', _ma tante_ - aldough she's not really _ma tante_, jus' a frien' o' de _famille_ dat came t' help out when _mére_ firs' got sick - den _mon frére_; den _moi_; an' den finally _mon pére_. When she called m', I was real nervous. She gave m' dis an' tol' m' t' give it t' de _femme_ dat I loved mo' dan anyt'ing in de worl'."

He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a delicate silver band, all vines and leaves, with a single emerald set in the middle, and unwrapped it from the silk handkerchief he kept in. He carefully placed it in her hand for her to see.

"At de time, I was 'bout ten an' t'ought 'girls were icky' -"

She giggled at that one.

"- _mais_, when I proposed t' Bella, I used it. She didn' like it. Said it was a wort'less lump an' wan'ed a white gold an' diamond _un_ fr'm Tiffany's. Guess dat's when we started t' drift 'part. She didn' realise jus' how much it meant t' _moi_."

"Ah think it's gorgeous."

Remy smiled, gently taking the ring back and rewrapping it. "She had de mos' _belle_ green eyes. Not like y'rs, don' t'ink anyone could have eyes as _belle_ as y'rs, mais dey were gorgeous. Dat's why _pére_ got it f' her. Not long after she spoke t' him, she passed."

"Ah'm sahrreh."

"Y'd've liked her, she was a lovely _femme_. Saw de good in everyone." He suddenly noticed Anna's eyes were tearing up. "Y' okay, _chere_?"

"Ah didn' realise yah'd lahst yahr momma too."

"_Quoi_?"

"Irene dahed las' nahght."

"Oh, _Dieu_, _chere_. 'M so sorry."

"She had cancer, that's what made her blahnd, thah tumor. She an' Raven went tah Germany tah stay with Kurt an' 'Manda 'cos thah medical facilities are real good in Munich. When she gaht worse, Raven had tah take care of her twen'y-four/seven, so Kurt stahpped workin' durin' thah day so he could take care of thah house while Amanda was teachin', an' she could take care of thah house while he was workin' thah evenin's. He called this mornin' tah tell meh she'd passed away in her sleep. Real peaceful. Ah jus'... Ah jus' wish ah could've seen her one las' tahme. Ah'm flyin' out in a couple of days foah thah funeral."

"'M sorry, _chere_. Guess dat 'tween dat an' what dat Cody said t' y', what de _homme_ in de bar said made it worse."

"Mmm hmm. Yah know, ah used tah think yah were all talk an' no trousers but... yah're real sweet. Everehthin' a gal looks foah in a man: han'some, sexeh, charmin', but yah're so sweet an' sensitive too. Plus, thah whole 'bad boy' thing doesn' hurt." She sidled a little closer. "Rem..."

Uh oh. He knew that look. Countless women had given him it before.

"Rem, ah want yah." She was practically crawling on top of him now. "Gawd, Remy, yah make meh so hot. Ah want yah. Ah _need_ yah."

For the first time in his life, Remy gently pushed her away. If it had been under different circumstances, if she wasn't so vulnerable right now, he would have pinned her to the sofa and ripped off her far-too-innocent pyjamas... But now? No. Now she _was_ vulnerable. Now he was in love with her. If he did what she was pretty much begging him to do... He didn't want her, or himself for that matter, to regret it. He wanted it to be the most perfect experience of their lives.

"_Désole_, _chere_, _mais_ I can'. Y're grievin'. Y're not t'inkin' straigh'. 'M not gonna take advantage of y'. Not when I -"

"When yah what?" Anna asked, slinking to the other end of the sofa, red-faced at her neediness.

"When I... I... I've... _Chere_, t'ink I've got feelin's f' y'."

It wasn't the whole truth. He didn't 'think', he _knew_. And they weren't just mere feelings, he was head-over-heels, rip-your-heart-out-and-serve-it-to-your-beloved-on-a-solid-gold-platter _in love with her_. But saying 'I think I have feelings for you' would make her less uncomfortable.

Anna stared in shock. "Yah do?"

"... _Oui_."

What she did next surprised them both: she scooted back over to his side, leaned up, and gently brushed her lips across his in a chaste kiss. "Ah think ah've gaht feelin's foah yah too."

"Y' do?"

"... Yeah."

He smiled lovingly at her before brushing his lips against hers.

"Rem? Stay thah nahght? Yah were rahght befoah, 'bout meh naht thinkin' 'cos ah'm so sad... But ah don' wanna beh alone. Will yah hold meh tahnahght? Please?"

"'Course, _ma belle_."

Neither made any attempt to move for a while, both wre happy to stay like this. Finally, Remy spoke.

"_Chere_? D' y' t'ink I could come wit' y' t' Germany? I was de youngest an' I loved _ma mére_ so much, _mais_ I guess I t'ought dat goin' t' her funeral would make de fact dat she was gone mo' real, so I stayed home. _Pére et _Henri un'erstood, so did _Tante_ an' de ot'ers, _mais_, now, I feel like I owe her somet'in' now. An' goin' wit' y' t' say _adieu_ will make her happy. Dat, an' I don' wan' y' t' be 'lone. I care 'bout y' too much f' dat."

She hugged him tightly. "Ah'd lahke that."

With one final kiss, she led him to the bedroom where they curled up together, her head resting on his chest, their hands intertwined over her heart.

* * *

**This chapter was really emotional for me to write. I lost my gran and grampa in the space of a couple of years so it was really difficult. I went to both their funerals but I was so upset I couldn't got to see Gran in the funeral home. I felt really bad for that so when Grampa died, I wrote their names on one of the reeds for the clarinet Gramps gave me and slipped it into his hand to make up for it. They, like Rogue and Remy, and probably Jean-Luc and his wife, were in love at first sight. A proper fairytale romance. She was the reason he moved to Scotland.**

**Anyhoo, I seem to have killed a lot of people. Oops. Ah, well, we never did know what happened to Remy's adoptive mum (well, I don't, from the handful of comics I've read) and we all know Etienne died anyway (and I'm pretty sure it's from having his skull crushed on the hull of a ship). Irene, I was surpised to find out after reading Necrosha, really **_**did**_** die in the comics! I was planning on killing her off anyway.**

**For anyone wondering, no, Remy's mum didn't die from AIDS. I couldn't think of any diseases other than cancer and AIDS and I've already got a plan for HIV/AIDS (don't worry, no one else will die... I think). Oh, and Illyana will be just fine.**

**Oh, one more thing:  
IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, PLEASE LEAVE THEM IN A REVIEW OR PM ME. I NEED A PLOT!**


	6. Chapter 4: Samson

**Hey! Guess what? Yep, that's right, I have a plot now... sorta. The moment I had an idea for this, I just had to write it down so, again, the next chappie might be a while. Anyhoo, I'd like to thank _rogueslove22_ for the idea for the first part in New York, and to _Anna Marie and the Purple Rose_ for the idea for the first part in Mississippi (sorta). Without those, there would probably be no chapter 5. Y'all are fantastic!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Song**

_Samson came to my bed,  
Told me that my hair was red.  
Told me I was beautiful  
And came into my bed.  
Oh I cut his hair myself one night,  
A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light,  
And he told me that I'd done alright,  
And kissed me 'til the morning light, the morning light,  
And he kissed me 'til the morning light._

_Samson_ - Regina Spektor

**I feel I have to clarification for the song choice here. "Samson" is often wrongly believed to be about the Bible story of Samson and Delilah, when, in fact, it is not. Spektor describes how her relationship with a man ****– whether his name was Samson or not is unknown – broke down by showing the parallels between them and Samson and Delilah. I'm using it because Delilah never really loved Samson, she only wanted to know the origins of his success in battle (his hair, which she then cut off to remove it) and then left, thereby using him as a means to an end, and using it to describe Rogue's beliefs about Remy's feelings for her. And I also just really like the song.**

**

* * *

**

Irritated was an understatement. Logan was thoroughly pissed, extremely frustrated... And he was pretty sure he had a hole in his shoe. He'd only spoken to the woman from SDA yesterday, but he needed to talk to the Cajun. He'd gotten voicemail when he called the Cajun's cell, and the hotel said he'd left the night before and hadn't come back in the morning. And now, he was pacing his study (again) waiting for this damn rookie detective to get off his computer and tell him where the Hell the Cajun had gone.

"Got it, sir!" the rookie, Bobby Drake, called excitedly, "There's a plane ticket in his name and a hotel reservation for Munich."

"Why does it say that there're two tickets?"

"Hmm? Oh, one's are for a woman. They're either sharing a room in Germany or she's... uh... Yeah, they're probably sharing a room. The hotel reservation's for one room, one bed, two people."

Logan growled. "'Kay. Fine." He pulled out his cheque book, writing one for Bobby's fee and handing it to the young man. When Bobby had gone, Logan reached for the phone, only for it to ring before his had even touched it. "Hello?"

* * *

Remy woke, feeling thoroughly content, with the most beautiful woman in the world wrapped in his arms. She was sleeping soundly, her angelic face at absolute peace despite the devastating news she had received the day before... or was it night? He had no idea of the time - not that it mattered when she was with him - but he'd suddenly realised that, in the time he'd spent getting to know the wonderful Anna, two weeks had passed him by and he was on a job. His job was currently in bed with him (fully-clothed he might add, he wasn't going to take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable), but he probably should've checked in by now. Carefully extracting her from his arms and tucking her in, brushing his lips to her pale-skinned forehead, he walked into her small sitting room and rummaged in his trench coat pockets for his cell phone. Stifling the start-up tune with a cushion so as not to wake up Anna, he glanced at the display and noted that he had 'one missed call from an unknown caller' at some time during the night. Taking his cell outside the apartment, he pressed the button for voicemail and waited. A moment later, a gruff voice was heard at the other end of the line.

_~LeBeau, this is Logan Xavier. You know, you current employer. You've been MIA for two weeks now and I want some sort of update. I don't care if you haven't found my daughter, I just want to know you're still looking. I also had a talk with Amara Aquilla at SDA and I found out about your womanising. If you hurt my daughter in any way I swear I'll...~_

At that point, the message cut off and a calm, feminine voice was on the line, _~I'm very sorry about that. He's just anxious. If you get this, please call back.~ _There was the sound of the mouthpiece being covered on the other end and Remy grinned to himself as the woman's voice reprimanded Logan, _~For all you know, Logan, he might just be as bad with technology as you are and simply forgot to charge his cellphone. Honestly...~ _Then the message ended.

Remy stood still for a moment, trying to decide what to do next. On the one hand, he could keep Anna in the dark and live out this little fairytale he was finding himself sinking deeper and deeper into every day, the little fairytale where he was sure that he could be with her forever... Or on the other hand he could tell her the truth and hope she would still want him. Making his decision, he pressed 'redial'.

The phone was answered almost instantly.

_~Hello?~_

"_M'sieur_ Xavier?"

_~LeBeau?~_

"Oui."

_~Where the Hell have you been?~_

"_Desolé pour_ not callin' sooner, _mais_ m' cellphone ran out o' charge an' I t'ought I'd lef' m' charger at home. I went back t' N'Awlins t' find it, an' when I couldn', I had t' buy a new phone. When I got back t' de hotel, I found de damn t'ing in de bag wit' m' razor."

_~Doesn't explain why you didn't call from the hotel or a payphone.~_

"... Damn. Didn' t'ink o' dat."

_~Did you find her?~_

_"Momen' o' trut'..."_ "Haven' found her yet. Dere was a surprising number o' _femmes_ born on dat day, an' it's kinda perverted t' ask if dey've got a birt'mark on deir ass."

_~Okay. Just check in once in a while. And I know you tend to be crass, but don't refer to my daughter's backside as her 'ass'.~_

"_Pas problem_."

Logan hung up and Remy leaned back against the wall beside Anna's front door, exhaling in relief. He'd chosen to lie - he'd chosen her. He could spend more time with her now. He could got to Germany, meet the maternal side of her family, be her boyfriend. He could have everything he wanted with her... almost. He still wanted that lifelong commitment (something he'd never been interested in since Bella); he wanted children; he wanted to celebrate their children's birthdays, their anniversaries; he wanted to walk any daughters he had down the aisle; he wanted to die peacefully in his sleep, in her arms, as she did the same... He wanted a _life_ with her.

"Remy?"

He was broken from his reverie by a beautiful Southern drawl.

"Yah okay?"

It was music to his ears. "_Oui_. Jus' had t' make a call, didn' want t' wake y'."

She smiled softly, taking his hand and leading him back into her little apartment.

"Y' wan' breakfas'?" he asked, letting her hand go and opening the fridge.

"Yeah, but yah're thah guest, yah shouldn't be cookin' foah meh."

"_Mais_ I wan' t'."

After a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs and sausage, Remy helped her pack a bag for Germany. He tried to remain a gentleman, not looking when she packed her delicates, but a flash of black caught his eye and he took a quick peek. She had packed several sets of lacy, silky lingerie for underwear and he swallowed hard, thinking of everything he could to quell the rising feeling in his pants. It worked - barely. When she was packed, they went to his hotel room so he could pack some clothes (she would never admit it but Anna had a look at his underwear too). He was very thankful that he liked to wear dress shirts as well as skintight t-shirts because they simply had to pick up a pair of dress pants and a suit jacket for him to wear to the funeral, whilst she was going to wear a simple, knee-length black dress.

They had booked the hotel and plane tickets the night before, just before they had gone to bed. And in the morning, they took a trip over to Blues Bar to say goodbye to their friends.

"I always liked Irene, even though the fact that she could almost always _sense_ we were about to do something wrong was creepy," Wanda said, hugging her friends before linking her arm through John's.

"Let her know we'll all miss her," Kitty said, barely staving off tears.

Anna received hugs from everyone whilst Remy shook or kissed hands. "We'd bettah go or we'll miss our flahght, Rems."

"_Oui_, _chere_. _Au revoir_, _mes amis_!"

-X-O-X-

For most of the seventeen hour flight to Munich, Remy shuffled a pack of cards, played solitaire, jiggled his foot or fidgeted in pretty much every way possible. Anna found it endearing. The fact that he couldn't stay still for even a moment was adorable to her; the way he would play with her hair, engage her in thumb wars, tap on the window of the aisle they were in. Little did she know, it was because he was in a mental battle of indecisiveness with himself. Eventually, he couldn't stand it any longer and he reached for her hand, stroking her knuckles softly.

"_Chere_, listen. I'm not dat great wit' relationships - m' only real _un_ wen' t' Hell when _mes yeux _ended up like dis - _mais_, wit' y', I wan' t' try 'gain. Will y',_ chere_? Will y' be _ma petite amie_?"

Anna gazed adoringly into his ruby and onyx eyes. "Yes."

Remy looked down sadly, releasing her hand. "'Course y' don' wan' t'. Who'd wan'..."

"Rem, ah said 'yes'."

He looked up in surprise, staring into her eyes. "Really?"

"_Oui_," she answered cheekily.

He could only grin and kiss her senseless - so he did. When they parted for air, Anna realised something.

"Yah know, asahde from what we said las' nahght, we don't really know all that much 'bout each othah."

"I like poker. Never los' a game in m' life."

"When ah was fahve, ah wanted tah be a police dog."

Remy laughed.

"_Mon père _was a lawyer et _mes cousins _are cops. Law enforcement pretty much runs in de _famille_. It's actually how _mère et père _met. She'd been mugged an' he defended her in court. Dey had a bet dat if dey won, she'd go out wit' him. Dey won."

"Raven works foah thah Pentagon in counter-terrorism. Irene was one of those phone-psychics an' used tah get me or Kurt tah turn ovah thah cards an' tell her what they were. Sometahmes she would know what they were without us."

The story swapping continued for the entire flight. Not once did either realise that Remy had forgotten to tell her what his brother and sister in law did for a living.

-X-O-X-

They unpacked in their room of the Munich City Hilton, Anna flopping down on the queen-sized bed when they were done.

"Rem?"

"_Oui_, _ma belle_?"

"We've onleh been tahgether a coupla days but, well, ah was wonderin'... Are we evah gonna have sex?"

"I've wanted y' from de momen' I met y'. It was jus' dat y' pretty much loathed m' an' now, well, y're vulnerable an' I didn' want t' take advantage."

"Yah won' be, believe meh."

"Y' sure?"

Anna leaned in really close to his face, her lips brushing his as she spoke, "_Oui_."

-X-O-X-

It was late the next morning when they woke, entangled in each other's arms. Anna stretched out, feeling thoroughly satisfied from the night's activities. After their own private wake-up call, they showered and changed before ordering brunch from room service. Anna flopped down, looking at the floor.

"Yah know, ah've had a great lahfe with Irene an' Raven an' Kurt but... Sometahmes ah jus' wish ah knew who mah father was. Yah know that song bah Heart, All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You? That's basicalleh what Raven did. She an' Irene wanted kids so Raven would have one nahght stands tah trah an' get pregnant. She'd always tell thah fathah, Kurt's wanted tah meet him an' they get tahgether evereh so often foah a boys' nahght out, but ah don' know mahne."

The words tumbled from Remy's mouth before he could stop them, "I know y're_ père_. He hired m' t' find y'."

* * *

**Dun dun duuun! Attack of the evil cliffie!**

**The story about Rogue wanting to be a police dog is a genuine story about my cousin, Ellie (who is much older than me), who decided that she was going to be one**

**I thought it'd be pretty funny to have Remy's family and Mystique catching their canon universe selves**


	7. Chapter 5: 'Til Tomorrow

**Knock knock.**_**  
Who's there?**_**  
Evil-pig.**_**  
Evil-pig who?**_**  
Evil-pig-Amy because the last chapter ended on a cliffie that had everyone going "Oh... Remy's trouble! Update!"... AND I'M NOT WRITING ANYTHING ABOUT ROGUE OR REMY IN THIS CHAPTER. Nowt, **_**nada**_**, zilch. Way hey! (yep. listening to The Fratellis again)**

**Oh! And I'm immortal (Carlisle Cullen turned me), so you can't lynch me ~mwuhaha~ ^_^**

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* * *

**

**Chapter Song**

_What can this be?  
Can you tell me?  
Would you like to discover why  
We're not free to be lovers?_

_'Til Tomorrow_ - Don McLean

* * *

Somewhere in New York City, a couple sat in a candlelit corner of a five Michelin star restaurant. The English-Asian model reached across the table to take the blonde man's hand, stroking it gently and reassuring him that his father will eventually accept them as a couple.

"It's just that he's so boneheaded about this. I love you, you love me. What's the big problem?" Warren asked Besty.

"I don't know. But just because he doesn't want us to be together doesn't mean we can't be, luv."

"Yeah... I just wish he'd give up on this stupid idea he and Logan Xavier have. I'm sure his daughter's lovely but I _can't_ marry her."

Betsy squeezed his hand and leaned over the table to kiss him. "How about we just get out of here, luv. Let's go for a walk or something."

Warren smiled and called the waiter over for the check.

-X-O-X-

The couple walked through the moonlit Central Park, far from the noise of car horns and people in the surrounding streets. They took the time to marvel at how this little patch of green was such a haven, how it could be so calm and serene. Eventually, they reached the heart of the park and sat at Bethesda Fountain, sillouetted against the city lights. Betsy ran her hand over the cool water as they sat in a comfortable silence. So absorbed in the peace surrounding them, she didn't notice Warren until her attention turned back to him - on one knee, holding out an amethyst and diamond engagement ring. He barely managed to start his proposal speech before she hugged him tightly and kissing him, declaring to the stars that yes, she would marry him.

* * *

**Little filler chapter while I try to come up with more plot. Ironically, I have an idea, but it's for a songfic I had no intention of writing 'til I read the lyrics.**


	8. Chapter 6: Hold Heart

**~Tries to sneak in through the back door unnoticed~  
**_**I've been here the whole time!  
**_**Yeah, okay, I've been away for a while, I just came up with a whole load of other stuff that I just **_**had **_**to write. I'm back, now, so here's a new chapter! Can anyone say the shit has hit the fan?**

* * *

**Chapter Song**

_Hold, heart, don't beat so loud,  
For me keep your calm  
As he walks out on you.  
No, tears, don't you come out,  
If you blind me now  
I am defeated._

_Hold Heart_ - Emilíana Torrini

* * *

All Anna did was stare at him in shock. "Yah were what?"

"I was hired by y're _père_, t' find y'."

"This whole tahme we've been tahgether, an' yah were onleh interested in meh because someone _hired _tah beh. Ah'm _sick _of men wantin' meh an' havin' an ulterior motive! Ah thought yah were different, ah was wrong."

_That _stung. He was nothing like those douches she'd dated before. He was in love with her, something he'd only ever felt for Bella, and it had been difficult to get over her… until he'd met Anna. She'd opened his red-on-black eyes to how love should be: not demanding, selfish and petulant like Bella had been; but selfless, full of kindness and romance, like Anna.

"I didn' wan' y' t' know! I had y' set t' be mine b'fore I realised who y' were! Trus' m', my interest in y' had not'ing t' do wit' de fact dat y're Logan Xavier's daughter!"

"Logan Xavier? _The _Logan Xavier? So naht onleh do yah lahe tah meh, but yah're also doin' it for Gawd knows how maneh thousands of dollars!"

"_Non_! _Non_, it's not like dat!"

"_Realleh_? Yah know what, ah've had it with thah bullshit. Ah can' belive ah thought yah were different frahm that rest of thah lowlahfe scum floatin' around."

She slammed the door as she left.

-X-O-X-

She went through gallons of tea, seven boxes of Kleenexes and sobbed for hours. All Raven had to say on the matter was 'men are scum'. At that very point in time, aside from her brother and friends, Anna couldn't agree more. She'd never been sad about a breakup before. She'd been angry; she'd occasionally felt _a little _homicidal, but never upset. She figured it was the fact that Irene was gone as well that had made it worse, although, she wasn't sure why she felt so miserable in the car when Amanda had picked her up from outside the hotel.

She cheered up a little bit when Kurt arrived home from work. He, however, took one look at her puffy read eyes and demanded an explanation of what happened. Amanda reluctantly explained what Anna had told her about the events in the hotel room. Kurt swore blue murder and offered to kill the guy who slept with and then betrayed his sister. She declined; a part of her not wanting Remy to get hurt. As much as she hated him, at that point, she couldn't bear the idea of harm coming to the man who had captured her heart.

* * *

He'd had it. The Cajun obviously had no inclination of finding his daughter, choosing instead to take a joyride to Germany and now he was stuck on this plane – admittedly, though, in first class – bound for Munich Airport to drag the detective back, kicking and screaming if needs be. On the drive to the Munich City Hilton where Remy was staying, Logan took a bit of a wrong turn and ended up on Neuberghauser Street. He was about to ask for directions (I know, he's a stubborn man asking for directions, shocker!) when he spotted a man getting out of a taxi. Remy LeBeau. The man he was looking for entering the cemetery signposted as Friedhof Bogenhausen for what was obviously a funeral. _Something _was going on. Thankful he was wearing a black suit and tie, he slipped into the back of the group gathered around the grave, noting briefly a red-haired woman right beside it: the woman he spent the night with, the mother of his child. Which meant the Cajun was doing his job, tracking his daughter here.

He waited until the end of the service – turned out the redhead was the civil partner of the woman in the coffin, putting him in mind of Heart's '_All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You_' – and slipped away while no one was watching, booking a flight back to New York over the phone as he drove back to the airport.

* * *

The after-party, well, not exactly a party, was full of people offering their condolences to small family. A tall stranger reached the group of four who were shaking hands and kissing cheeks with the funeral goers. He sympathised with Raven, Amanda and Kurt in a rich Cajun accent and Anna looked away from her great-aunt Bessie**# **to see none other than Remy telling Kurt how sorry he was for his loss. She _so _didn't need this right now.

Nevertheless, he stepped up to her. "'M really sorry dat y' los' her, _chère_. An'… An' I need t' talk t' y'."

Rogue deliberated for a second. "Yah've gaht fahve minutes."

* * *

**Oh! 'Nother cliffie. I'm so evil.**

**# Because everyone's got a great-aunt Bessie**

**I officially have my mojo back for this story. Just not a working laptop. Thankfully, I'm at my dad's for the week so I can try to get another chapter up… Possibly.**


	9. Chapter 7: The Other Kind

**Whee! Another chapter!  
Sorry for not getting this out sooner, I had homework and prelims and exams and now I'm in sixth year.  
Stupid school getting in the way of fanfiction. They even blocked the site!**

* * *

**Chapter Song**

_Well, you've had the kind of lovers that'll let you down,  
Promise you forever and just walk out,  
The kind that leave you lonely only holdin' onto goodbye  
But you're gonna find:  
I'm the other kind._

_The Other Kind_ - Jace Everett

* * *

"_Yah've got five minutes."_

Five minutes to prove his love… Not exactly easy when you were dealing with the world's most difficult and stubborn woman… Wait. Add that previous statement to the already extensive list of reasons he loved her.

They walked off to a quiet corner, out the way of the other people in the room and she turned to face him.

"Talk," she demanded sourly, crossing her arms and glaring at his chiselled features, "Because in case yahr insignificant, little brain forgot: that was Irene's funeral – _mah momma's funeral_ – an' ah'm not in thah best of moods thanks tah that."

"Look, _chere_, I don' even t'ink dere's words t' describe how I feel about y'. _Ouais_, I made a stupid mistake in not tellin' y' about y're _pere mais_ de only reason I did dat was dat I didn' wanna lose y'! He called m', dat mornin' I made y' breakfast, an' I tol' him I hadn't foun' y' b'cause I wanted t' be wit' y'. I chose between de money an' m' heart an' I chose y'. I love y', _chere_. More dan anyt'ing in dis worl' an' I don' wanna lose y'."

Rogue stared at him for a solid minute as she processed this information. "How do ah know yah won't betray meh later?"

"Y' don'. Y'll jus' have t' trus' m'."

"Ah've trusted evereh guy ah've ever dated; an' evereh time they've hurt meh."

"Look, _chere_, I've only ever told one ot'er _femme_ dat I love her an' she threw de ring back in m' face. Relationships are a leap o' fait', _chere_, mebbe it's time y' jumped."

Rogue considered him for a moment, looking deep into his strange eyes before glancing away in a fit of shyness, then reached up and kissed him chastely, like they were in high school on their first date. He gazed into her eyes and kissed her once more, passionately pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. When they broke apart, she was crying. He gathered her gently to his chest and simply stood there as she stained his shirt with her tears. To him, it was the defining moment in his life.

-X-O-X-

Naturally, when her family found he was the one who hurt her and had her crying for days on end, they weren't the most hospitable of people. However, after a the few days they spent there, poring over old photos and home videos, they grudgingly accepted how they were in love, how they were so perfectly synchronised and how Anna seemed so alive around him, and so – when they waved them off at the airport, there were only threats of bodily harm, rather than murder.

Remy was musing this as Rogue dozed against his shoulder on the flight back to Mississippi. He was going to take his own advice: relationships were a leap of faith, it _was_ time he jumped. _And jump he did_, he thought, _he'd chosen his path and he would have all those perfect little fantasies_. His fantasies of marriage and children, of course, they hadn't slept together – well, they'd shared a bed, but not bodies – since their fight. Somehow, he couldn't help but think it was the reason she'd reacted so negatively to his confession about knowing who her father was: the fact that she was still so vulnerable and it seemed as though he had taken advantage of her. _Dieu_, he felt like scum, now.

-X-O-X-

Ever since they'd arrived back from Germany, Remy had been acting oddly. He hadn't made any sort of moves on her since they'd reconciled after the funeral. She'd assumed that it was because they were staying with her family and that he would have found it weird to sleep with her when they could hear them, but she'd assumed, or rather, _hoped_, that he would be his usual, orgasmically-incredible-in-bed self and keep her locked in her apartment _and_ (she was really hoping now) tied to her bed.

Why did she suddenly have a gutter-mind?

Sitting at the bar, sipping on a vodka martini, she was suddenly approached by a well-dressed couple.

"Do y' know where we can find Remy LeBeau?" the man, who was going slightly bald, asked.

"He should be here in a couple of minutes," Anna replied, regarding them carefully, "Why?"

"Jus'–" the man was cut off by the blonde woman beside him suddenly shouting, "Remy! Remy!"

The way her boyfriend's eyes lit up at the sight of the woman made Anna's heart sink. Could this be Bella Donna? Could she want him back or something? Instead, she was shocked at how Remy embraced the two very tightly and laughed.

"_Mon Dieu_, Henri, Mercy? What're y' doin' here?"

"Came t' see y', _petit frère_, what did y' t'ink we were doin'?"

"Yah're his brother?" Anna suddenly asked, "He's never mentioned yah."

Mercy shot an accusing glare at Remy. "Did y', now?"

Remy looked a little annoyed. "_Merde_, knew I'd f'gotten someone. Anna, dis is _mon frère_, Henri, an' his _belle_ wife, Mercy. Henri, Mercy, dis is Anna-Marie, de love o' m' life."

They shook hands and went to get a table together.

"So what do y' do, Anna?" Mercy asked.

"Ah sing. Here."

No one noticed how Henri was suddenly very interested in her.

"Ah, I'm a designer. Actually, dat dress y're wearin' is _belle_. Don't t'ink I've seen it befo'. Whose is it?"

"Really? Wow! Yah know, mah friend, Kitty, really wants tah work in fashion. She can't really catch a break, though. This is one of hers."

"Wouldn' mind meetin' her. She's got a good eye. Henri's a–"

"Anna, you're up," Scott suddenly called from the piano.

Anna apologised to her companions and hurried over to the stage. As she began her set, Henri's eyes practically bugged out of his skull.

"Tell me dat _fille_ doesn't have a deal," he turned to Remy, practically begging.

"Like a record deal? _Non_. She's stuck here. De las' _fille_ dey had – Ali Blaire, I t'ink – got signed wit' Longshot Records, Anna got her job here."

Henri was very quiet after that.

-X-O-X-

Anna took her bow after the set and stepped back down, making way for a jazz band booked for that night – Spyke and the Morlocks.

Henri immediately jumped on the opportunity. "Anna, I own a record company. Not big but everyone we've had has been _très_ successful. I want t' sign y'. Y' got talent and y' could be _encroyable_!"

Anna regarded him carefully, not entirely sure she could trust him. It was at that moment Kitty barged over and dragged her away.

"Do you have _any idea_ who they are?" she whispered excitedly, "That's _Henri and Mercy LeBeau_! They're, like, totally famous! He's got this record company – they signed Lila Cheney – and Mercy's, like, my hero! She's totally brilliant! All her designs are–"

Anna cut her off by dragging her back to the table. "Mercy, this is Kitty, the one who made my dress."

Mercy immediately took Kitty over to the side and they began talking. It wasn't long before Kitty's squeal broke the sound barrier as Mercy asked her to come and work with her.

It was at that moment Anna was decided on the matter. "Ah'll do it. Ah'll sign with yah."

Henri laughed ecstatically and hugged her, telling her and Remy to come to the hotel he and Mercy were staying in so he could draw up a contract.

Things were finally looking up.

-X-O-X-

Anna and Remy had gone out for lunch after signing the contract. While Henri had been drawing it up, Mercy had told embarrassing stories about the brothers' childhoods. Remy and Henri retaliated with stories about the things Mercy had done to get Henri's attention.

"Rem... Ah wanna meet him," Anna said suddenly as they ate.

"Y're _père_?"

"Yeah. Do... Do yah think yah could call him an' tell him yah found meh?

"'Course, _chère_."

Within a day, they had booked tickets to New York and called to let Logan know what was happening.

It was gonna be some family reunion...

* * *

**Sorry****sorry****sorry****sorry****sorry****sorry****sorry****sorry****sorry****sorry**! I've been so busy with other stuff – mainly Sims – that I've not updated in forever! I'm soooooo sorry!

**I promise I won't take so long with the next chapter.**

**Please don't think I'm dead!**


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